Fruits Basket : Jyuunishi XIV
by NeoSerendipity
Summary: Find out the truth behind the Sohma family curse with the discovery of the fourteenth animal spirit!
1. Chapter 1

Fruits Basket  
  
"Jyuunishi XIV"  
  
Written By: Andrea MacFarlane  
  
Email: luthien_anwamane2003@yahoo.ca  
  
Rated: 14A (Later Chapters with become R for graphic violence and sexually explicit scenes)  
  
Teaser: There's another jyuunishi?! Ever wondered why none of the jyuunishi are birds? Ever wonder why it's always the Sohma family members that are cursed? In ancient texts it is said that Buddha called forth fourteen animals, not thirteen, while the cat was fooled by the mouse, there was another animal unable to attend the celebration. With it's beautiful song, the canary was also invited to attend, but the day before the celebration it was captured by a human and imprisoned in a gilded cage. The canary implored with the human but to no avail and missed out on the celebration. Days later the canary managed to escape and made it's way to Buddha, begging to be allowed into the zodiac. But the new year had already begun and there was nothing Buddha could do for the poor creature. So as punishment for keeping the canary in a cage, Buddha set a curse upon the family of the man who had caged the canary. A man with the name of Sohma.  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
"Sing for me..." Akito murmured through the small opening.  
  
Inside the darkened room was a small futon without coverings, an empty hearth and a lone figure dressed in rags. Silver eyes peered through golden hair tangles at the Sohma family head.  
  
"Iie." came a soft reply from a voice one would swear was made of tinkling bells.  
  
Akito's features contorted with rage and he yanked furiously on the cold metal bars separating him from the figure in the room. "You'll sing for me or you'll die!" he screamed.  
  
Running footsteps alerted him to the approach of Hattori. He smirked devilishly, "You will sing, even if it's just your dying screams, I'll make you sing for me." he murmured before Hattori rushed into the room.  
  
"Akito." he stated sternly before moving into the room to usher the frail family head back to his own section of the compound.  
  
Inside the caged room the figure turned and as the light filtered through the small opening the profile of a young woman could be seen. Emotionless eyes closed shut as she slumped down onto the futon and slept.  
  
***  
  
"I won't be long Sohma-kun, I just want to speak to Hattori-san for a moment." Honda Tohru called out excitedly as she rushed into the Main House. On the direction of a maid she made her way into a section of the Main House she'd yet to visit. When she would have turned right towards what she'd been told was Hattori's area she heard someone singing down the hall to the left. Never before having heard such a melody Tohru felt drawn towards it.  
  
The singing stopped moments before Tohru found herself in an empty room. Or at least she believed it to be empty until she saw a small grate in one of the walls. Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw something move inside it. Fear leapt inside her until she heard the voice on the other side, "Who are you?".  
  
Tohru was surprised by the gentle voice, her fear slipping away immediately, "Honda Tohru," before she could help herself she asked, "Why are you in there?" Clamping her hand over her mouth she apologized profusely and bowed.  
  
A soft laughter met her ears and Tohru looked into the amused silver eyes of the girl behind the grate. "I was hoping I'd meet you at some point Honda-san. You're the only other person besides me who's ever gotten Hattori to disobey a direct order from our all too unworthy leader."  
  
On instinct Tohru moved up to the bars and gasped when she was able to fully see inside what she knew was a cage. Without warning Tohru's good nature gave an overpowering message that she couldn't ignore.   
  
Inside the cage the girl watched Tohru rush back across the room and rip a decorative battle axe. When she lifted it from it's holding she yelped as it nearly cut off her foot as it imbedded itself into the floor. Confusion and curiosity overrode the girl's common sense, and she watched in fascination as Tohru hoisted the axe over her shoulder and hurtled across the room, lodging it into the wall of her prison. It was then that she realized this girl whom she hadn't even introduced herself too, was freeing her from Akito's prison.  
  
As Tohru continued to hurl the axe at the wooden wall and it slowly began to crack and break away. Tohru managed to hack away just enough space for a person to pass through before the axe clattered to the ground, slipping out of her tired arms and blistered hands.  
  
"D-Daijoubu desu ka?" Tohru managed to breathe out just before the girl slipped herself through the opening. When she stood in the full light of day Tohru choked back a cry of alarm.  
  
Standing just over five feet, wrapped in a dirty piece of linen, grey with age, was a lithe girl no older then Tohru. Her silver eyes lay nearly hidden behind a mass of golden hair, tangled and bunched together as if it had never been combed.  
  
The girl nodded towards Tohru and bowed in gratitude before she spoke, "My name is Sohma Aya, arigato gozaimasu Honda-san."  
  
Tohru would have responded in her usual happy manner but the sound of several people approaching gave new strength to Tohru as she grasped hold of Aya's arm and leapt through another doorway, heading back to the front of the house. Tohru didn't know why she felt this burning desire to help Aya, but something inside her told her that this girl was not bad, that she hadn't deserved to be locked away as she had. As they approached the front gates Tohru spotted Yuki still waiting for her and she called out to him in desperation.  
  
Something odd had been in the air moments before Yuki heard Tohru call his name, and when he turned to greet her with a smile he saw what Tohru was bringing with her. He didn't even have time to react before Tohru grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind her with the other girl.  
  
"Nani? Honda-san what's going on?" he asked as he ran along beside her.  
  
"He's too cruel Sohma-kun, I had to save her! She'll be safe with us." Tohru replied enigmatically.  
  
Yuki just stared back at Tohru and continued to run, if he left it alone it would work out. Tohru would never do anything terrible.  
  
Aya let herself be dragged through the city streets, her bare feet being cut up by the hard black top beneath them. The fact that Yuki didn't recognize her was of no true concern, only two living members of the Sohma family knew of her existence. Both were still in the main house, both resented her in their own fashion.   
  
It wasn't until they got on the gravel and dirt path, to what Aya assumed was the way to Tohru's house or perhaps Yuki's, that her minimal strength became depleted and her legs gave way from beneath her. Releasing Tohru's hand was the first thing she did as she fell, the second was to twist her body so she fell on her back.   
  
Tohru's surprised cry brought Yuki's attention back to the girl she had been dragging with them. When he turned to see her lying on the ground he had to suppress an involuntary urge to go and pick her up in his arms.   
  
Aya refrained from laughing when Tohru knelt beside her and began to apologize profusely. "Yamatte, it's not your fault, I've always had weak legs." When Tohru continued to cry Aya reached her arm up to grasp the girl's trembling shoulder, "Enough Honda-san, I'll be fine in a moment or two, but I won't be able to run anymore."  
  
Tohru was so relieved she stopped crying long enough to help Aya back to her feet and then look towards Yuki who looked uncomfortable just standing there, unable to do anything.  
  
When Aya was ready they started to walk slowly, she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from making any sound as the stones and dirt of the road dug into her exposed feet.   
  
Yuki watched Aya with interest for a few minutes as they walked before she glanced at him and he turned his eyes back to the road. When they approached Shigure's house he noticed Kyo sitting on the roof waiting for them to return. When Kyo spotted the blonde girl Yuki had another urge to hide her from the world, especially from Kyo even, as if Kyo would eat her before his very eyes. These feelings were unnatural for him, confusing him beyond measure.  
  
"Honda-san, I'll go ahead and prepare things." Yuki muttered as he watched Kyo running towards them.   
  
"Oy!" Kyo yelled as he came to a screeching halt beside Tohru. "Who the hell is this?"  
  
Tohru looked somewhat nervous and even before she could fumble for the proper words Aya saved her by speaking, "You could say she was picking up another stray cat." It amused Aya to see Kyo's eyes widen almost imperceptibly. Before anymore could be said on the subject Aya moved Tohru forward and they pushed passed the suspicious cat.  
  
When they finally reached the quaint little house Aya nearly choked on her own blood, she'd been biting the inside of her check so much the blood had begun to fill up her own mouth. So as soon as they entered the front foyer and Tohru called out for both Shigure and Yuki, Aya slumped to the floor and coughed up all the blood she'd been keeping in her mouth. Her feet were pounding with pain and she knew it would take at least a few days to heal. But knowing her luck Akito would find her long before and make her endure worse for having escaped.  
  
With blood still dripping from her lips she looked up to see a horror stricken older gentleman and a frozen Yuki. Kyo stood behind her still confused by her earlier words and Tohru was rushing around trying to clean up the blood and move Aya at the same time. It was not an easy task, so to make matters more interesting, and to take her mind off the pain she decided to play with the other three Jyuunishi present.  
  
"Well I'm glad to finally know that common courtesy and care has gone the way with chivalry and good will towards others, out the window, in men's cases anyways."  
  
Yuki looked stricken, his hand twitching at his side, wanting to help but unable because he believed the curse would reveal all to her. The older gentlemen whom she guessed to be Shigure remained unmoving, studying her as if something on the edge of his memory itched to be released. And when her eyes moved to Kyo she could almost picture him in cat form, hair standing on end, tail ramrod straight and frazzled all the way through.   
  
"Honda-san yamatte!" Aya yelled more out of pain then actual annoyance. "You won't change." she whispered immediately after. "If you pick me up you won't change."  
  
"NANI?!"   
  
Seemingly by instinct Tohru began to intrude to try and help the situation, "She was in a cage, but she was in the main house, just off of Hattori-san's rooms, I had to break it open, I had to save her."  
  
Aya watched the trio of Jyuunishi with interest, and when Shigure's eyes widened almost imperceptibly she began to chuckle sadly. "You're going to send me back aren't you Shigure-san, you know who I am, you think you know why he kept me in there, but you'll never know the truth, neither of them will tell you the truth. The truth would make you hate them, make you all hate them."  
  
Before Aya could speak again the feeling of being lifted into strong arms, no the feel of anyone's arms around her flooded her entire being with emotions she'd never experienced. Never being hugged, held or even touched for her entire existence, it was as if a dam had broken inside her, and as she looked into calculating and fiery red eyes her steel exterior broke. Before she could stop herself the tears flowed from her eyes as she clutched Kyo with all her might.  
  
Tohru began to cry as well when she saw Aya crying, and both Yuki and Shigure looked on the scene in fascination. Without a word Shigure turned his back on them and went into his study, closing the door soundlessly behind him.  
  
"Take her upstairs Kyo, she probably wants to bathe and then take her into my room, she'll sleep there until we can find something else for her." Yuki ordered quickly, and for once Kyo obeyed without question, Tohru fast on his heels trying to comfort the still sobbing Aya.  
  
Watching someone else hold this mysterious girl was odd for Yuki, never had he wanted to be closer to another girl, with the exception of Tohru, and for someone he'd never even seen to crawl this deeply under his skin confused him. The fact that the Jyuunishi didn't transform when they hugged her was another miracle, one that he'd get answers for. If this girl could bypass the curse he wanted to know why and how, he would resort to any means to obtain his goal. Something like this could not be ignored, and for Akito to hide her like that, knowing such a person existed, it went far beyond his duty as the family head. Like he wanted the Sohma's to remain cursed.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
End Notes: What's gonna happen when Akito find his little prisoner missing? Will Tohru be punished for rescuing her? Why won't Aya succumb to Yuki and tell him the truth? How does Shigure know about Aya? Find out the answers to these question and more in the next installment! 


	2. Chapter 2

Fruits Basket  
  
"Jyuunishi XIV"  
  
Written By: Andrea MacFarlane  
  
Email: luthien_anwamane2003@yahoo.ca  
  
Rated: 14A (Later Chapters with become R for graphic violence and sexually explicit scenes)  
  
Teaser: There's another jyuunishi?! Ever wondered why none of the jyuunishi are birds? Ever wonder why it's always the Sohma family members that are cursed? In ancient texts it is said that Buddha called forth fourteen animals, not thirteen, while the cat was fooled by the mouse, there was another animal unable to attend the celebration. With it's beautiful song, the canary was also invited to attend, but the day before the celebration it was captured by a human and imprisoned in a gilded cage. The canary implored with the human but to no avail and missed out on the celebration. Days later the canary managed to escape and made it's way to Buddha, begging to be allowed into the zodiac. But the new year had already begun and there was nothing Buddha could do for the poor creature. So as punishment for keeping the canary in a cage, Buddha set a curse upon the family of the man who had caged the canary. A man with the name of Sohma.  
  
____________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Night was beginning to fall and still Aya had not been caught. She wondered if Akito even cared that she'd gone missing. As Aya lay back in the tub she rubbed her eyes until pin pricks of light marred her vision. She watched them dance and fade before her eyes, knowing that she could do nothing else. She'd been in the bathroom for close to two hours now, the water had become quite cold around her but there was nothing she could do. Her feet and legs were so badly scraped and bruised from running away that when the hot water had hit the broken skin and cleaned her cuts she found she couldn't stand on them. A shiver passed through her and she gripped the edge of the bath. Maybe if she stayed in it all night without these other Sohma's noticing she could be free from it all. But the thought of dying frightened her and she began to cry involuntarily.  
  
***  
  
Busy with food preparations for dinner Tohru was unable to hear the sounds coming from upstairs, and both Yuki and Kyo, as usual, were busy arguing. It wasn't until Tohru yelled from the kitchen to ask one of them to get Aya for dinner that Kyo perked up.   
  
Yuki, perceptive in most cases, eyed the cat with suspicion. "What's the matter-" His eyes widened when he realized why Kyo sat ummoving, if Aya had been unable to walk to the bathroom how would she have been able to walk out again? Not even bothering to stop to hit Kyo, Yuki leapt from his seat on the floor and raced up the stairs two at a time.   
  
When he reached the bathroom he yanked open the door to see a small shivering body draped in wet golden hair. As her tear stained face turned to him his heart wrenched and he found himself moving forward, ucaring as to her current state of undress. Perhaps it was when she held her arms out to him or when he looked in her eyes and saw that she didn't care that he saw her like she was, only that she was grateful he had come, that Yuki decided never to let her return to the Sohma Main House even upon pain of death.  
  
Aya had been startled by the sudden appearence of one of the household members but at the same time she was grateful, it meant she wouldn't die just yet. She knew that Yuki was a good person and knew that if she didn't ask him for the help she needed he might be too embarassed. So she held out her arms to him, not really caring that she wasn't wearing anything, just wanting to get warm. Her whole body was shaking from the cold water and she just wanted to get out.  
  
Yuki reached down and slid his arms around Aya, picking her up from in the bath and soaking his shirt at the same time. He was amazed at how light she was. Grabbing the towel that had been left for her with one hand he placed her precariously on her feet and continued to hold her up as he wrapped it around her.   
  
Her hair had become untangled and it's golden mass stretched right down to just above her knees. Without bunchedand tangled hair to hide her eyes he could see their silver colour clearly. Something about them made him exceedinly melancholy, as if they harboured a dark secret.  
  
"Yuki-kun..."   
  
Aya's soft whisper brought Yuki back to his senses and he picked her back up carrying quickly to his room and setting her down on his futon. "Daijobou desu ka?" he asked after he'd pulled several blankets out from his closet and draped them over her.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Yuki-kun! Aya-chan!" Tohru called from the bottom of the stairs.   
  
When Aya tried to sit up to go down Yuki placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. "You aren't wearing anything and I won't have you catching a cold just to get some dinner. I'll bring some up for you in a bit."  
  
A protest was on her lips but it quickly died at the steely determination Aya saw in Yuki's yes.  
  
***  
  
Tohru pursed her lips together in concentration as she carried four plates of food into the eating area. She spotted Yuki at the bottom of the stairs, not seeing his wet shirt because of the lack of light in the hall. She smiled happily as she set down the plates, being careful not to spill any when she put it down in front of Kyo. It was then Tohru noticed that Yuki was glaring at Kyo and Kyo was refusing to meet his gaze.  
  
"Ano...what's going on?"  
  
Before she could respond Yuki had darted into the room and she watched him lunge for Kyo. For once the cat's agility saved him, but the floor where he had been sitting was splintered and Tohru screamed in suprise.  
  
"Matte Yuki! I forgot! It was an accident!" Kyo yelled in defense as he desperately tried to protect himself from Yuki's blows.  
  
Tohru being Tohru, did the only thing she could think of to get Yuki to stop. She ran towards the two struggling figures and threw herself onto both of them. The familliar poofs ensued and she soon found herself holding both a struggling cat and mouse.  
  
When they both realized Tohru was holding them they stopped moving all together and hung limp in her arms. Yuki was the first one to speak, "She could have died from that baka neko! You should have known she wouldn't have been able to get out on her own."  
  
"AHH!!!!!!!" Tohru cried as she dropped both Yuki and Kyo. "Aya-chan! You left Aya-chan alone?!?"   
  
Kyo looked as if Tohru had just kicked him across the room. Without another word he grabbed his clothes in his mouth and ran up to his room.  
  
***  
  
Aya heard all the commotion downstairs and she hated not knowing things, so she climbed out of Yuki's warm bed and opened his drawers until she found what she needed. When she'd finished dressing she heard the light sound of movement outside the door before another door down the hall slamed shut.  
  
Cracking open the door she peered out and upon seeing nothing she tread as lightly as she could, biting back the pain as she inched closer and closer to the stairs. She sighed in relief when she grabbed the railing and began to make her descent very slowly.  
  
When she reached the bottom of the stairs she heard two voices speaking heatedly to each other. Half towards them there was a rather lous poofing noise followed by Tohru yelling out in suprise and then apologizing profusely. Aya knew exactly what had happened, Tohru must have hugged Yuki, and the noise earlier must have been Kyo.  
  
Before she even turned the corner Yuki had appeared with eyes burning before her. When those same eyes recognized her they softened considerably just before his eyebrows knitted together. "I thought I told you not to come down, you're only going to injure yourself more." he said quietly as he came towards her prepared to carry her again.   
  
"Iie!" Aya screamed without fully realizing why she'd felt so frightened in that moment. But it registered after she saw the hurt expression on his face. In the darkened hallway she'd mistaken him for Akito.  
  
"Gomen...you just..." guilt overwhelmed her and adding to the pain in her legs and feet she could do nothing but crumple quite ungracefully to the ground.   
  
Tohru took that moment to pop her head around the corner and she jumped forward to drop herself on the ground and fuss over Aya. "Ahh! You should be lying down, it was my fault you got hurt!"  
  
Aya laughed through her tears at Tohru, the girl would die of a heart attack at an early age. "Iie, Honda-san, it's my fault, I should have made you stop, but I just couldn't bring myself to stop. I thought that if I stopped they'd catch up, they'd take me back." And with that said a fresh wave of tears racked Aya's thin frame and she curled herself into a ball on the floor.  
  
She heard Tohru begin to cry as well and she couldn't believe it. No one had ever cared for her feelings, and this girl seemed to try and care for everything all at once!  
  
This time when Yuki reached for her Aya made no protest. She soon found herself clinging to Yuki as she continued to cry. It was ubearable, never had she been allowed to cry and now it was all she could do.  
  
***  
  
"Let her run for a bit, it's always better to catch a moving target Hattori, makes the victory that much sweeter." Akito murmured from his spot on the floor. Ever since Aya had left all the birds that usually hung around the Main House had vanished and Akito found he only had the falling cherry blossoms to gaze upon.  
  
"We'll make her pay though, for taking my pet, Honda Tohru will pay. So will the others. You owe me your lives and yet you take what is mine."  
  
Hattori kneeled silently as he listened to Akito, but deep inside he was relieved Aya had escaped.   
  
***  
  
Shigure mulled over the girl that had recently come into their household, he could remember Hat-chan saying something about a golden haired child many years ago, for the longest time Shigure had thought he meant Momoji, but when Hat-chan said it was a girl Shigure had been confused. Hat-chan had said something about not being able to examine the child even when she was sick because...and that was where Shigure's memory went blank, he couldn't remember. After a few hours of trying to coax his brain into revealing the knowledge he sought Shigure gave up and started on his next novel to try and clear his mind.  
  
***  
  
"Why were you being locked up in the Main House?" Yuki questioned Aya after he'd brought her back upstairs, calmed Tohru down and made sure Aya wouldn't burst into tears again. Though he had to admit, her wearing his black silk shirt and grey silk boxers was quite suprising, now it was a great big problem. She'd only pushed a few buttons into place and with her sitting on his futon like she was he was having a great time trying to keep breathing.  
  
Aya shrugged and averted her gaze from his. "I doubt you'd believe me if I told Akito was really a vampire and he was using me as his food supply."  
  
Yuki held his hand to his forehead in frustration. She kept avoiding his questions, he didn't understand why it seemed she was protecting Akito and the others at the Main House but not saying anything. It was also frustrating because he found himself severely attracted to someone who he thought was probably one of his cousins. He almost wanted to strangle her when she avoided another question. But touching her long slender neck was definitely out of the question. His mind kept retreating back to her nude form and the room began to get warm.   
  
Quite abruptly he turned on his heel and marched out of his own room, taking a note from the neko's book he headed immediately for the roof.  
  
____________________________________________________________  
  
End Note: Well, why exactly is Hattori glad Aya escaped? What will happen when Tohru tells Kyo to apologize to Aya and he refuses? Aya is able to walk again, but where is she going when she borrows one of Tohru's dresses and just leaves? What will Shigure remember as he works on his writing? All these answers and more in the next installment! 


	3. Chapter 3

Fruits Basket  
  
"Jyuunishi XIV"  
  
Written By: Andrea MacFarlane  
  
Email: luthien_anwamane2003@yahoo.ca  
  
Rated: 14A (Later Chapters with become R for graphic violence and sexually explicit scenes)  
  
Teaser: There's another jyuunishi?! Ever wondered why none of the jyuunishi are birds? Ever wonder why it's always the Sohma family members that are cursed? In ancient texts it is said that Buddha called forth fourteen animals, not thirteen, while the cat was fooled by the mouse, there was another animal unable to attend the celebration. With it's beautiful song, the canary was also invited to attend, but the day before the celebration it was captured by a human and imprisoned in a gilded cage. The canary implored with the human but to no avail and missed out on the celebration. Days later the canary managed to escape and made it's way to Buddha, begging to be allowed into the zodiac. But the new year had already begun and there was nothing Buddha could do for the poor creature. So as punishment for keeping the canary in a cage, Buddha set a curse upon the family of the man who had caged the canary. A man with the name of Sohma.  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
Chapter 3  
  
It was difficult for Hattori to imagine that she was gone now too. It had been difficult to give up Kanna after Akito had blinded him. Especially now that he was beginning to realize that Akito had taken Aya from him by imprisoning her. But he didn't think he could ever blame Akito, the one before Akito had kept her to himself as well. There was nothing Hattori could do, she would always belong to the one who bore the brunt of the curse, and god only knew why because he didn't understand that. Staring at her empty cell, with it's wall broken and excess light invading the once enshrouded room, Hattori's mind began turning like it never had before.  
  
With her gone Akito's health had begun to improve but his disposition had worsened to the point where all the Jyuunishi children and other Sohma family members had been asked to stay away from him for the time being. Everyone had begun to talk, many thinking that the reason they were being asked to stay away was because Akito was finally nearing his death bed. It wasn't the case but Hattori let the rumors fly in order to conceal the truth.   
  
***  
  
The tension in Shigure's house only lengthened during the next three days. With the start of school looming on the horizon Tohru knew she needed to patch things up, and she could only think to start at the beginning. So she made her way quietly down the upstairs hallway towards Kyo's room.   
  
It was odd really, usually she'd have gone straight to the roof to find him but lately it had been Yuki who sat on the shingles and contemplated things. His room being constantly occupied by Aya might have been the reason and Tohru would address that matter after she dealt with Kyo.  
  
Her resolve hardened and she rapped determinedly on Kyo's door. A mumbled 'come in' allowed Tohru to enter Kyo's room without worry. He sat on his windowsill and stared out at the bright day. Tohru made a quick note to finish the rest of the laundry today because the breeze coming into Kyo's room from his open window told Tohru that it would only grow colder so she couldn't wait.  
  
"Ano...Kyo-kun," Tohru spoke quietly at first as her resolve wavered, "I need you to apologize to Aya-chan."  
  
Kyo had been sitting thinking about the very person Tohru wanted him to apologize to. He was so caught off gaurd by her name that he immediately became angry, as if he thought Tohru were implying he had left Aya in the bathroom on purpose. "IIE!" he yelled in reply before regretting his tone immediately. Tohru's shocked expression was enough for him to wish he could crawl under a rock and die.  
  
The inexplicable urge for him to want to fight Aya warred with another urge to want to help her. It was almost as if Aya were a combination of his feelings for Tohru and Yuki. On one hand he felt like attacking her on base instinct and on another level he felt as if they were kindred somehow.  
  
Before Kyo had even noticed Tohru had made her way in a huff back to his door and was shouting in return at him before marching out. The last thing he caught her saying was like a sharp stab in his heart.  
  
"I guess you aren't the person I thought you were and I truly am an idiot for even trying to help."  
  
***  
  
Aya sat in front of Tohru's closet upon the cheery girl's insistence she was to choose a dress or two in order to go shopping later to buy her own clothing. But ever stitch of clothing in Tohru's closet seemed to shout happiness, and as soon as she was about to give up and just ask to borrow more of Yuki's clothes she spotted something in the back of the closet. She pulled out a simple black dress that Aya assumed the girl had worn to the funeral of her mother. The mood around the dress didn't seem death like, even the black of the dress seemed warm. But it would have to do, Aya refused to wear any of the bright hues.  
  
After she'd slipped on the dress and found a pair of matching shoes Aya glanced at herself in the mirror apprehensively. Her cheeks were not full and they lacked colour. Her eyes reflected her melancholy state and it could only be expected that he small and thin frame didn't fit the contours of Tohru's much healthier and fuller body.   
  
It didn't even occur to her that the person in the mirror crying was her until she reached up and felt the tears coming from her own eyes. It would do no good staying here, her hair was too long to let it fly freely so Aya looked around Tohru's room and quickly spotted a yellow ribbon hanging from her mirror. Quickly she brought her mass of golden hair around in front of her and tied the ribbon at just about her shoulders. This way her hair was not pulled away from her fac too much and she could hide her ugly appearence from onlookers.  
  
With a heavy sigh she picked up Tohru's black shoes, waited until she'd just managed to reach the front hall and then slipped them on before slipping out the sliding door.  
  
The cold air of autumn was entirely different from the cold drafts she'd gotten in her prison, this cold was almost liberating and she welcomed the tiny shivers her body made at the loss of a warm house. Moving quickly on her still unreliable legs she walked as best she could away from Shigure's house. It was strange that Akito had not come looking for her, perhaps he didn't know that she'd been staying in that house but Aya knew she could not risk another day. By now the signs would be showing and the loss of his strangle hold on the Sohma family would become evident at least to Hattori. Akito would not wait anymore to come looking for her so Aya knew she had to leave. If only not to cause them all trouble, she had to save herself.  
  
***  
  
For the past few days Yuki had made the roof of Shigure's almost like a second home for himself, the chilling weather was not helping him health wise and he knew that sooner or later his weak bronchi would either give him an asthma attack or something worse. But the idea of returning to face Aya seemed the worse fate at this juncture.  
  
So when he spotted her leaving the house without so much as a by your leave, his irritation shot up several notches to the point where he found himself moving back through the house, down and out the door after her without a second thought.  
  
***  
  
Shigure had been writing a chapter in his novel dealing with robbery leading to seduction and then escape when suddenly his memory seemed to recover some of the pertinent information he'd been trying to remember for the past few days.  
  
When he was much much younger and still living at the Main House Shigure could remember Hattori trying to break into one of the loacked and unused rooms. The dragon cursed boy kept yanking at the door, trying to break the padlock with rocks as a small Shigure watched in fascination.   
  
After several minutes and several failed attempts Hattori had slumped back against the door and began to cry. On instinct to protect what he loved Shigure moved to sit beside his cousin and rub his back.   
  
"It'll be okay Ha-chan, there's nothing to cry about, I'm sure whatever you left in there can be gotten when the room is opened up again. We can go find one of the grown ups to open it for you." Shigure had suggested in an attempt to cheer Hattori.  
  
"Iie. I didn't leave anything in there Shi-chan." Hattori began before growing quiet again.   
  
Several minutes past without speech and just as Shigure was about to inquire further Hattori hugged his younger cousin and began to cry again. "They took her away Shi-chan, I'm not even allowed to see her, not even momma or papa can see her anymore, and she's still tiny, only the Sohma doctor is allowed! Why Shi-chan?! Why are they doing this to my sister?!"  
  
___________________________________________________________________________________  
  
End Note: AHA! Now you understand Hattori's side right? Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I was so excited to get to that revealing ending that I had to make it short. The next one will be longer I swear! So what does Shigure do with this new found information? How is it possible that something so important had slipped his recollection until now? Where is Aya headed and how will Yuki react when she sees he's following her. How will she react? And how will they both react when they're interrupted by none other then Hanajima! Kyo has retaken his position on the roof and spots something interesting from his vantage point, but what will it lead to? The answers and more in the next installment! 


End file.
